SAM Papers

Turkey’s New Horizon: Turks Abroad and Related Communities

Kemal Yurtnaç

Abstract

Across the world, there are many countries that have established institutions to serve and engage with their citizens and kin living abroad. Such institutions are called Diaspora Ministry/ Department in some cases, while in others they operate as independent units under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1990s paved the way for the birth of a set of new countries that have their nationals or ethnic kin beyond their borders, and consequently increased the need to establish such institutions. The ensuing process of globalization facilitated countries in their efforts to establish closer ties with their citizens and kin communities. Today many countries work to strengthen their public diplomacy efforts, or “soft power,” and expand their sphere of influence through their diasporas.